The Waters of Nayru
Chapter 41: The Gathering Storm
By, Frank Hunter

"My sisters," Amili's voice poured out into the canyon. She stood again on the roof of the pueblo, with the gathered army of Gerudo formed up on the desert floor below her. As soon as Rigo was capable of getting to his feet, she had called for an assembly to brief her soldiers and prepare to move out. They would waste no time in getting onto Tydus's heels.

Now, Amili, Rigo, and Pureet stood at the top looking down over a sea of expectant faces. The battle had not shaken the Gerudos' resolve in the slightest. If anything, in light of Rigo's incredible feat, they only believed all the more that the Sand Goddess was on their side.

"Two days ago," Amili projected, "we were confronted by an enemy who attacked us with no intention of taking prisoners or showing mercy. This enemy calls for our extinction. He would cast us down. He would say we are inferior. Is this this man correct?"

The canyon boomed with the collective answer of, "NO, STEWARDESS!"

"He is not," Amili said. "And we have shown him otherwise. As we did, two pivotal events played out before our very eyes. First, our sovereign Prince Rigo was returned to us."

Amili could not stop the cheer that rose up from the crowd as she gestured to Rigo at her side. She did not even try. Rigo looked down over the people who at that moment cheered for him. They were so moved, some to tears at the very sight of him. It was more than he could have expected.

When the noise died down somewhat, Amili continued onward.

"He was returned to us on the wings of salvation, for it was him and him alone who chased the enemy away from here, and who struck fear of the Gerudo into their hearts. And Prince Rigo stands with us now."

There was another brief cheer which, this time, faded on its own as Amili waited to go from the good news to the bad news.

"Unfortunately, while we saw conquest outside of these walls, something devious occurred inside. An agent of the enemy found a way to infiltrate the Gerudo pueblo. This…person took something from us. The very object that drives us. During the battle, the Chalice of Nayru was stolen from us."

Murmuring this time. Pureet had suggested that the Gerudo deserved to be told something, but whatever that something was, it could not be the truth. To keep them inspired Rigo could not be vilified. Leadership would need to appear united.

"This is an insult and an injustice, my sisters. And it is something we will not stand for! Prince Rigo has come back to us, not only with our wellbeing in his heart, but with our way forward in hand. The Prince comes to us with the location of the Fountain of Nayru itself!"

There was a stream of chatter then, one neither Amili nor Rigo could hope to dispel. Amili chose just to press onward into it. "With our Prince's guidance, we will pursue our tormentors into Hyrule itself. We will pursue them to the gate of the Sacred Realm, and we will pry them from it. We will retrieve the Chalice that was delivered to us, and use it to vanquish this enemy. In the name of the Gerudo and the Sand Goddess who watches over us, we will not waver. We will not fail. We will rebuild our tribe, and we will be victorious!"

More cheering, though Rigo thought it might have sounded a little more tentative. Amili went on from there to discuss the logistics of marching the army out of the desert and into enemy territory, but at that point Rigo zoned out. He had spent the earlier part of the morning talking to Nabooru, and was focused instead on the information she'd given him back in the barracks. The details about the Fountain.

Listen, Nabooru had said to him, and listen carefully. The Fountain of Nayru lies just within the goddess' Sacred Realm, to which there has only ever been a single entrance. In my time, that entrance was protected by the Hylian Royal Family, and remained a closely guarded secret kept by them alone. It was hidden in a building within Castle Town, a building many of the locals believed to be condemned but in fact was the home of such power they could never imagine. This building was called the Temple of Time.

It was in Castle Town, itself? Rigo asked, surprised.

It was the reason Castle Town was built where it was, Nabooru answered, factually. So that the castle could be close by, so that the guardian princess could always get there quickly and without fail. There was a barricade inside the Temple known as the Door of Time, which could only be opened under very specific circumstances. On the other side, housed on its pedestal where no one would ever stumble upon it, was the Master Sword. You've heard of this sword.

The Hero's weapon, Rigo clarified.

Yes, forever and always. The 'Blade of Evil's Bane' it was called, and whenever the Hero is summoned to protect Hyrule, he is drawn to this sword. With it, he is able to cast down any threat, no matter how large. But, those are under only those specific circumstances, when the Hero is alive and active in Hyrule. When the sword is at rest inside the Temple of Time though, it serves another purpose. There, it is the final lock barring the door into the Sacred Realm. While it is in place, the door cannot be opened.

So you need the Master Sword to open the way? Rigo asked.

Not exactly, Nabooru said. It needs to be removed from the Pedestal of Time before the gateway may be opened. This can only be done if an individual with a good and pure heart comes upon the sword and willingly pulls it from its place of resting. That's the reason I think the Colonel will not be able to breach the Sacred Realm. His motives aren't pure. He won't be able to make the Master Sword budge if he's driven by hate.

But you're not sure about that.

No, Nabooru admitted. This magical stuff is iffy at best, it's always hard to predict exactly what effect some unknown factor will have on it. I wouldn't trust that the way will stay barred to him, particularly if he has people loyal to the Royal Family along with him. He may eventually be able to get through.

Okay, Rigo said, thinking. So how do we remove the sword if it comes to it? Who can pull it?

Nabooru scoffed. I'd hope you could figure that one out, Deku sprout.

What? Rigo asked, genuinely confused. Who, me?!

Well done. In record time, no less.

You've gotta be kidding, Nabooru. There's no way I could-

Why not? the spirit asked him. Think about it, kid. You first came to Hyrule with the purpose of helping our people to grow and heal from their troubled past. You have done your utmost to mediate a dispute between them and the Hylians, and to do so in a way that would be as peaceful as possible. And, now that all that's failed, you are driving a dangerous mission to stop a man who would threaten both nations with war and tyranny. Rigo, I ask you. If you're not worthy to wield the Master Sword, than who?

Rigo shrugged fruitlessly. But I'm not him. I'm not the Hero.

That doesn't matter, she said. You're the closest thing we've got right now. And I think the magic around the sword will recognize that.

The idea was too much. Rigo remembered the pictures he'd seen in Zelda's books, of the Hero charging into battle with the glowing blade in his hand, ready to smite evil and save the land. He tried to picture himself in place of the green-clad figure, but he couldn't. The sword wasn't his. That wasn't his place. He was just who he was, and although destiny promised him big things, he had a lingering hope that they would never be quite that big. Though he didn't bother telling Nabooru any of this. it wouldn't matter to her, or change the situation at hand.

Let's assume I can pull it, then, Rigo said. What happens then?

Then, you need to place one of the Relics of Light onto the pedestal in its place.

Relics of Light? Rigo asked. He'd never heard of these.

There are a handful of sacred objects enchanted with the power to open the gateway and allow entry to the Sacred Realm for the purpose defined by the relic used. The Master Sword itself, for example, is one such Relic. Using the sword to open the gateway would allow the bearer to proceed deeper into the Temple of Time on the other side. If the traveller knew where to go, he would even be able to leave the temple in that other world and see the Realm of Light for himself.

I think we've got enough on our plate for today, Rigo said. I'm guessing the Chalice is another Relic?

Yes. Placing the Chalice on the Pedestal would also open the gateway. On the other side, it would result in the Fountain being raised, up out of its resting place. Through the Fountain will flow the Waters of Nayru, and they will be accessible there for the first time since they were hidden away.

Do you know what would happen if a mortal drank the Waters? Rigo asked her.

Not a clue, like I told you before Nabooru answered. It's never been done as far as I know. They're said to be powerful, but no one knows just how true that is. I guess we'll see though.

Yeah, Rigo said. He was still having doubts about this course of action, though. Nabooru. Am I doing the right thing, here?

It's a hard question, kid, the spirit told him. Like you've said yourself though, if someone is going to raise the Fountain, it might as well be you. I think you're most likely to treat the Waters with the respect they deserve. And I don't think you'll be able to back out of this now. Your girlfriend isn't going to let you just abandon the Fountain. As long as you stay on good terms with her, get yourself crowned, then you'll have final say over how it's used. I think that's the best you can hope for.

The best he could hope for. Rigo wished he could do better than that. His inability to mend the gap between himself and Amili was an x-factor here, something he hadn't planned on. If only she could understand him, trust him, then maybe she would believe him that the Waters should be left alone, and that Zelda should be allowed to keep the Chalice and protect it. But among the Gerudo, to suggest that they should put their faith in a Hylian is sworn blasphemy. Amili, and by extension, her army, would not be willing to turn the Fountain over to anyone that wasn't Gerudo, and he would only serve to turn them against him if he suggested it to them. He'd have to play nice, and look after it himself.

Alright, he said to Nabooru, prepared to ask her the ringer. So how are we going to assault Castle Town with an army of less than five hundred and no heavy munitions?

It sounds impossible, doesn't it? Nabooru said. Good thing you don't have to.

Rigo cocked an eyebrow. What do you mean? You said the Temple of Time-

The Temple of Time was in Castle Town. Past tense. But, when Ganondorf invaded and took the Triforce for himself, he exposed the Temple of Time as the sacred place it really was. When he took over, the first thing he did was drive the citizens of Hyrule out of Castle Town, to make sure that no nosy locals could go poking around and cause problems there. When he was beaten though, and the Royal Family rebuilt the town, they were stuck with the problem of what to do about the Temple. The Master Sword had been returned and the Door of Time closed, but the Temple remained a place of fascination. And the Zelda of the time found it impossible to keep the place safe when everyone seemed to know its secret. So she called on the Sages to help.

What did you do? Rigo asked.

Well, we briefly contemplated creating another place of power, Nabooru said, A second entrance elsewhere, and just destroying the Temple. But that would have been dangerous, and more difficult than it was worth. Eventually, we settled on just encapsulating the Temple and moving it, in its entirety, elsewhere.

You moved the whole building? Rigo marveled.

Magic, kid, Nabooru said. It's easier than it sounds. The idea was, if we couldn't have it in a place where the princess could get to it easily, we would set it in a place where no one could get to it easily. Far to the south of Hyrule Castle was a forest that was known colloquially at the time as the 'Lost Woods.' It was a place that no one was capable of navigating unless they already knew where they were going. Blind attempts to wander the Woods either turn you completely around, or get you lost forever. We relocated the Temple of Time deep inside.

So why would Tydus even be able to find it in there? Rigo asked.

He shouldn't be able to, Nabooru said. It's another problem he'll have to deal with, another delay that will slow him. Another reason I think he may not be able to reach the Fountain.

But you're still not sure, Rigo guessed.

No, Nabooru agreed. I'm not.

When he was done learning what he needed from Nabooru, he went to join Amili in her chambers. With the spirit's guidance, he was able to draw the correct routes on her maps, and show her the simplest paths down into Hyrule, through the central fields, and into the area to the south, now marked as the "Faron Woods." The old Lost Woods, Nabooru said, were tucked deep within.

All that done, it was only a matter of rallying the troops and getting on their way. Time was of the essence here, and there was none of it to waste. And so, when she had finished their briefing, the units formed up, and the Gerudo army marched for Hyrule, and the Fountain of Nayru.